Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'Science and Method', 'A Problem about Substitutional Quantification?' and 'Counting and the Natural Numbers'

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5 ideas

5. Theory of Logic / G. Quantification / 4. Substitutional Quantification
10792 The substitutional quantifier is not in competition with the standard interpretation [Kripke, by Marcus (Barcan)]
     Full Idea: Kripke proposes that the substitutional quantifier is not a replacement for, or in competition with, the standard interpretation.
     From: report of Saul A. Kripke (A Problem about Substitutional Quantification? [1976]) by Ruth Barcan Marcus - Nominalism and Substitutional Quantifiers p.165
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 2. Geometry
10245 One geometry cannot be more true than another [Poincaré]
     Full Idea: One geometry cannot be more true than another; it can only be more convenient.
     From: Henri Poincaré (Science and Method [1908], p.65), quoted by Stewart Shapiro - Philosophy of Mathematics
     A reaction: This is the culminating view after new geometries were developed by tinkering with Euclid's parallels postulate.
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / d. Natural numbers
17423 The essence of natural numbers must reflect all the functions they perform [Sicha]
     Full Idea: What is really essential to being a natural number is what is common to the natural numbers in all the functions they perform.
     From: Jeffrey H. Sicha (Counting and the Natural Numbers [1968], 2)
     A reaction: I could try using natural numbers as insults. 'You despicable seven!' 'How dare you!' I actually agree. The question about functions is always 'what is it about this thing that enables it to perform this function'.
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / c. Counting procedure
17425 To know how many, you need a numerical quantifier, as well as equinumerosity [Sicha]
     Full Idea: A knowledge of 'how many' cannot be inferred from the equinumerosity of two collections; a numerical quantifier statement is needed.
     From: Jeffrey H. Sicha (Counting and the Natural Numbers [1968], 3)
17424 Counting puts an initial segment of a serial ordering 1-1 with some other entities [Sicha]
     Full Idea: Counting is the activity of putting an initial segment of a serially ordered string in 1-1 correspondence with some other collection of entities.
     From: Jeffrey H. Sicha (Counting and the Natural Numbers [1968], 2)